Fifteen kilometers away.
The high platform made of steel stood tall in the white snowfield. It did not look like a creation of this era. The neat and dense structure, the beams and steel cables with icicles hanging from them, and the layers of barbed wire surrounded it, all revealed the beauty of the industry.
Hundreds of people surrounded it, preparing for the detonation.
As the entire device weighed nearly ten tons, and Hummingbird had gone to the front, it could not be assembled in Neverwinter. They could only transport the parts to the test explosion site and assemble it on the spot.
Fortunately, its structure was very simple, and the need for disassembly and transportation was taken into account during the design, so it was not demanding on the workers.
This was also the difference between the "Glory of the Sun" and other weapons. Even if the site and equipment had been set up, it still took one or two days to complete the final preparations.
At this moment, Roland and Anna were standing on the top of the tower, directing the assembly of the device.
"Next is the third core component. Pay attention to the direction of the interface, be careful!"
"Everyone, listen to my command! Three, two, one! "
As the leader of the workers shouted, a silver-white cylinder was slowly pushed into the device.
Until this step was completed, Roland slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
Inside the cylinder was the main source of energy for the test explosion — two separated Uranium-235 cylinders, each weighing 20 kilograms. When the two were combined, it would provide a total charge mass of 40 kilograms. This value was lower than the critical limit of 53 kilograms. In theory, there would not be a violent fission reaction, but as he had said before, the critical value was not a fixed value.
Conditions such as shape, temperature, and pressure could change the value, which was why "nuclear weapons" that relied purely on materials had little practical value. For example, 52 kilograms of uranium-235 in the spherical state seemed stable, but in fact, it was already a volcano that was ready to erupt. Even a slight impact or vibration could cause it to cross the critical point.
Similarly, although it was safe to use several small uranium blocks, it would also make the detonation more difficult. When several uranium blocks were combined into one, the whole could indeed exceed the critical point, but the high temperature produced by the fission reaction would cause the uranium block to expand rapidly, reducing its density, and the violent explosion would push the raw materials far away, thus interrupting the reaction.
In short, a reasonable configuration not only had to make the uranium reach a critical state, but it also had to be maintained as long as possible in order to unleash the power of the fission reaction.
The reason why the gun configuration was called a gun configuration was because its principle was very similar to the ancient guns. Through the detonation of explosives, one piece of uranium would suddenly push another piece of uranium. Under great pressure, the density of the uranium would increase rapidly. Even if the mass was slightly lower, it could still cross the critical point.
When the outer shell of the device was connected, Anna personally inserted a can with a warning sign of the radioactive source into the reserved tail port.
It was also the last critical component of the test explosion.
For a moment, Roland felt as if his face had been pricked by something, and even his breathing stopped for half a beat.
"C-Beryllium neutron source."
Just like its name suggested, it could provide a large number of free neutrons for fission, and it was the most direct way to reduce the critical value. Inside the can like metal container, there was a row of hollow spheres. Each sphere was the size of a ping-pong ball, and the core was a marble-like spheroid. It was tightly wrapped in gold foil, and around it was a honeycomb of beryllium sheets.
When the uranium pieces collided, they would also smash the small can at the bottom of the "gun barrel." All the hollow spheres would be compressed by the violent explosive gas until they were thinner than paper. After the gold foil broke, the beryllium sheets would be intimately attached to the spheroid, completely accepting the alpha particles released by the spheroid, and then blasting out several times the number of neutrons.
These neutrons would participate in the fission reaction of uranium 235. If luck was on their side, they could consume a few more percent of the raw material before the reaction was terminated, greatly increasing the power of the nuclear weapon.
Since the half-life of polonium-210 was only 138 days, it was essential to provide a replacement port. In addition, leaving the neutron source in the weapon for a long time was also extremely dangerous. After all, as long as the beryllium was in contact with it, it would spontaneously release neutrons. Once the gold foil was damaged, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After the beryllium neutron source was installed in the principle device, it turned from a gentle and harmless thing into a monster that could engulf everyone on the scene at any time.
Although Roland knew that what he felt was just an illusion, and it was impossible for a human to capture the changes in the number of neutrons in the environment, he still subconsciously breathed a lot lighter.
At this step, the principle device officially completed all the preparation work before detonation.
Anna took the initiative to hold his hand.
"Give the order."
Roland nodded slightly under the other party's calm and steady gaze.
Regardless of the result, the Glory of the Sun Project had finally reached this step.
After taking this step, mankind would enter a new realm.
He looked at Sean. "Pass my order, inform the command post to start the ignition in six hours!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"6: 00"
"Woo — — Woo — — Woo — — Woo — —"
"Device No. 1 has entered the ignition stage. I repeat, Device No. 1 has entered the ignition stage. All personnel, please pack up immediately and leave the site in an orderly manner according to the drill plan! Please note, this is not a drill. The test explosion site will be closed in an hour. Everyone must evacuate to a safe area before then! "
Soon, the evacuation announcement was heard along with the alarm.
"Hurry up, everyone gather in the open space in front of the tower. Don't leave anyone behind!"
"Construction Team Two, count off. One, two, three..."
"Seal the test explosion site door!"
"All members of the God's Punishment Witch Squad are here. Begin evacuation."
The quiet snowfield seemed to be boiling. People's shouts and the repeated alarm echoed each other, and the atmosphere became tense and dignified. Everyone knew that they were about to witness an unprecedented experiment.
"3: 00"
In the command post, Roland and Anna took out two keys and opened the cover of the control panel.
When the switches were pressed one by one, the green lights on the table lit up one after another.
"The main cable is transmitting power!"
"Mystery Moon No. 1 is working normally. The load is rising steadily."
"Now switch to line one."
"Understood. Line one has been connected. The power supply to the device is working normally!"
The observer reported the operation of the detonation system loudly. When the last green light lit up, it meant that the electric current had been conducted to the high platform 15 kilometers away.
"1: 00"
The alarm above the command post also sounded. It meant that there was only one hour left for the detonation procedure.
The doors and windows of the bunker were all closed, and the oil lamps were extinguished one by one to avoid accidents caused by the vibration.
The higher-ups of Neverwinter entered a special observation room. According to Roland's instructions, the outer surface of the room was built in the shape of a trapezoid to better withstand the shock waves, and the inner side was deepened to accommodate the huge body of the Original Carrier.
Pasha and the other Taquila witches had been waiting for a long time.
"0: 15"
The sky gradually darkened.
The last round of urgent sirens finally arrived.
Whether it was the higher-ups, soldiers or workers, they all put on black sunglasses to block out the strong light according to the rehearsal.
Although most people did not understand why they had to wear glasses to block their vision on such a dark snowy day.
Didn't that mean he couldn't see anything?
"0: 05"
"Countdown. Five minutes!"
When the announcement sounded again, the scene had become silent.
All communication and discussion had stopped. Everyone stared fixedly at the pitch-black darkness in front of them, involuntarily holding their breaths.
"Countdown of three minutes!"
Roland felt sweat forming on his palms.
Anna looked at him with a smile and gently held his hand.
"One minute!"
A hand reached over from the other side and five fingers overlapped.
"Countdown of ten seconds!"
"Nine!"
Although it was a pity that he could not press the detonation button himself, Roland knew that this was only the beginning of his long historical journey.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Detonate!"
The snowfield in the distance was quiet, as if nothing had happened. Time seemed to freeze at this moment. It felt like a long time had passed, but it also felt like only a short moment.
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